Whats in a name? Everything

Like them or not, our names are special to us. It seems our brains are programmed to respond even when a stranger speaks it to another individual. Whether our parents took a long time to decide or thought it up in the spur of the moment, our name is something that makes us unique and separates us from others.

Like them or not, our names are special to us. It seems our brains are programmed to respond even when a stranger speaks it to another individual. Whether our parents took a long time to decide or thought it up in the spur of the moment, our name is something that makes us unique and separates us from others.
Although some legally change their name, most of us keep our given name knowing it is the one thing our parents gave us we will have forever.
A few years ago, while researching a First World War veteran, I learned his name, the one he was given by his parents, the one attested to when enlisting and married with, was not his official name.
Not until he filed for his Canada pension did he learn that the name he lived with all his life was not the official one. Apparently, when he was born, his parents gave him the name he lived with, but when he was baptized, the minister felt it wasnt Christian enough, so a more Christian name was written in the church records.
Many of us have been given one or more of our parents names. If my family is a good example, it seems more sons have been named after fathers and grandfathers, then daughters after mothers and grandmothers. Analyzing the names of my parents 29 grandchildren (17 boys, 12 girls), eight boys were given one of their fathers names, six were named after their grandfather and one after a great-grandfather.
In comparison, four daughters were named after their mothers and four for their grandmothers. That means 88 per cent of the boys carrying on a family name compared to 67 per cent of the girls.
In some cultures, it is a tradition to name the first born son after the mothers father and every proceeding son after the father.
For example, John Lorentz Tiberts first son was named George (after his mothers father) and the six younger boys were named John after their father. To avoid confusion, the boys were called by their middle names.
Some records recorded them only by their middle names while others added John. It took me a while to sort out the sons because I didnt know about the naming tradition when I started.
When recording a name in a genealogy, the official name should be entered. The official name can be found on a birth certificate or baptism/christening document. If one of these cannot be found, try the marriage record.
If someone was referred to by a name other than their first name, it can be written as: William Charles Charlie Smith. Some prefer to use quotation marks - Charlie - while others use brackets - (Charlie). The choice is up to you.
Highlighting the preferred name is a better way to record it in a data base or an obituary than using only an initial for the first name to indicate the middle name was used: W. Charles Smith.
Researchers File
Updating Mason Family Tree. Seeking information on Richard Mason (1800 - 1877). He is buried in Truemanville Cemetery with his two wives, Mary Ann Beharrell and Hannah Woodworth. Contact Mabel Mason, 79 Tom Road, Cocagne, NB, E4R 3M4; email: melsah129@hotmail.comDiana Lynn Tibert is a freelance writer living in Milford, Nova Scotia. (http://www.thefamilyattic.info/Roots.html). Submit queries to: RR#1 Milford, Hants County, NS B0N 1Y0; email: tibert@ns.sympatico.ca